Press Mentions

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Press Mentions

Date

Date

Format: 2018-02-17

Date

Date

Format: 2018-02-17

"The change that a group of volunteers can achieve on their blocks with just a small cash grant and the help of city services is incredible," Citizens Committee CEO Peter H. Kostmayer says, in discussing the program.

But most important, says Arif Ullah, director of programs for the Citizens Committee for New York City, are the benefits of befriending one’s neighbors. “It’s about building greater resilience on the block, because people know each other better,” Ullah says.

The Bedford Stuyvesant Artists’ Association and Zion Gallery launched the “My BedStuy” project this summer, working with young children to help them depict their perceptions of the neighborhood... The initiative was made possible by a grant from the Citizens Committee for New York City.

CultureCocoa ArtHouse founder Jodelyn Goode secured grants from the Queens Council on the Arts and the Citizens Committee for New York City to fund the creation of the mural. “Even in being displaced, how do you find who you are? Public artwork can validate you, even when society says you don’t matter,” said Goode. “Art is a reminder that you matter, that you’re here.

“As an early funder and supporter of the Queens-Way, the Citizens Committee for New York City is thrilled to see this project take another major step forward in becoming a reality,” said Peter Kostmayer, Chief Executive Officer of the Citizens Committee for New York City. “These types of projects are never easy but when communities organize effectively, such as in the case of the QueensWay, great things can happen to improve the quality of life in those neighborhoods and with improvements to the environment, education, transportation, security and health, the QueensWay is a win-win for all of Queens and the City of New York.

“People say they support fighting global warming, and they want to elect someone that’ll do something about it — but they have a problem with carrying a reusable bag in their coat pocket,” said former Congressmember Peter Kostmayer, C.E.O. of the Citizens Committee of New York City.

"The change that a group of volunteers can achieve on their blocks with just a small cash grant and the help of city services is incredible," Citizens Committee CEO Peter H. Kostmayer says, in discussing the program.